SAN DIEGO, CA, Nov. 5, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Senomyx, Inc.(NASDAQ:SNMX), a leading company focused on using proprietary technologies to discover and develop novel flavor ingredients for the food, beverage and ingredient supply industries, announced today that it has been notified by the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA) that its sucralose enhancer, S2383, has been determined to be Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) under the provisions of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, administered by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). S2383, which was discovered and developed by Senomyx, is an extremely effective enhancer of the high-intensity sweetener sucralose. The GRAS determination by FEMA allows S2383 to be incorporated into products in the U.S. and in numerous other countries.

“Receiving GRAS determination for our S2383 sucralose enhancer is an important milestone for Senomyx,” stated Kent Snyder, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. “Senomyx previously received GRAS status for our savory flavor ingredients, which are currently incorporated into products being marketed by Nestle. In addition to enabling commercialization of our flavor ingredients, these regulatory determinations substantiate Senomyx’s discovery, development, and regulatory expertise.”

S2383 is intended to enhance the taste of sucralose, a high-intensity sweetener used in a wide variety of beverages and foods such as confectionaries, baked goods, desserts, and dairy products, as well as over-the-counter (OTC) healthcare products and dietary supplements. In taste tests, S2383 allowed the amount of sucralose in product prototypes to be reduced by up to 75% while maintaining the desired sweet taste. By enabling the reduction of sucralose, S2383 may allow manufacturers to decrease their costs of goods and potentially improve the taste characteristics of certain products.

“The rapid progress made with S2383 is indicative of Senomyx’s leadership in the science of taste,” noted Mark Zoller, Ph.D., Senomyx’s Chief Scientific Officer and Executive Vice President of Discovery and Development. Senomyx scientists have made several key discoveries relating to the human sweet taste receptor and developed patented methods for utilizing the receptor in assays designed to identify new sweet taste enhancers. “S2383 was identified in 2007, and the same methodology resulted in the 2008 discovery of S6973, an exceptionally effective enhancer of sucrose (table sugar). S6973 enables up to 50% reduction of table sugar in numerous food and beverage product prototypes without compromising taste. We are currently conducting development activities needed to support regulatory filings for S6973, and we believe that our experience with S2383 will be helpful as we move forward,” Dr. Zoller added.

Senomyx is a leading company using proprietary taste receptor technologies to discover and develop novel flavor ingredients in the savory, sweet, salt, bitter, and cooling areas. Senomyx has entered into product discovery and development collaborations with seven of the world’s leading food, beverage, and ingredient supply companies: Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Cadbury plc, Campbell Soup Company, The Coca-Cola Company, Firmenich SA, Nestle SA, and Solae. Nestle is currently marketing products that contain one of Senomyx’s flavor ingredients. For more information, please visit http://www.senomyx.com/ .